Are brand owners targetting the wrong bartenders for brand advocacy? – Comment

I had the pleasure late last year of hosting the ‘Bars in 2035’ Pernod Ricard SIP roundtable – a first-of-its-kind meeting of minds that brought together the most well-known, innovative and celebrated bartenders in the world, all of whom had cut their teeth and enhanced their reputations at the most prestigious and influential venues around.

The attendees were fantastic value, providing cutting-edge opinion and genuine insight. Their profile, however, was reflective of the relentless focus from brand owners on the very highest echelon of bartender and bar. And it makes sense. The theory goes that by cosying up to this top 1%, showcasing the best of your products and telling the stories to develop emotional relationships, they too will then spread the good word.

The event got me thinking: Is it time to shake up bartender advocacy?

Even in the heady days of social media influencers, there is nobody better to advocate for drinks brands than the maestros of the sector: the bartenders who turn products into experiences and liquids into stories. Indeed, the sphere of influence of the very best bartenders extends far and wide, in both the sector bubble of fellow bartenders and to the educated consumers who seek out celebrity bartenders like a butterfly collector travelling to remote ends of the earth in pursuit of the crowning jewel to add to their collection.

However, the theory is so well established that highly influential bartenders are in even higher demand, with major alcohol brand owners falling over themselves to woo the very best, resulting in a fierce competition for their advocacy.

That’s not to say that bartender advocacy programmes can’t be fruitful. Perhaps we just need to broaden our horizons and look beyond the very top table. Indeed, one of the attendees at the roundtable event has often spoken of a concept of a thriving underbelly of bars and bartenders that keep the cocktail scene of any city vibrant.

François Monti, the renowned bar consultant, vermouth expert & author, regularly references the importance of the ‘second division’ of venues; the tier below the ‘premier league’, at which more regular, localised, but just as relevant, visits occur.

This is something that Tom Bronock from UK-based creative drinks agency Wilde Toast has also spoken about. An ex-bartender himself, Tom suggests that the biggest opportunity to drive engagement is by focusing on the bartenders with the most to learn – the staff working at the thousands of venues that serve premium brands, but who know little to nothing about, other than what’s on the product’s label.

These bartenders, he argues, are eager to understand more, and are less influenced by the head bartenders at the fanciest venues than by their peers, experiences and learning events – all of which can be easily facilitated by drinks brands. Influencing an army of bartenders isn’t necessarily achieved by targeting the very best – a more successful route is to directly engage the middle-tier through grassroots training and experience, which will naturally spread via word-of-mouth.

Both François and Tom make a valid point, even before considering the sheer volume opportunity that may be missed. With more than half (55%) of on-premise consumers globally suggesting that they would pay more for a better quality of drink, the sphere of trade-up opportunity is far greater than the ‘premier league’ and goes all the way down the pyramid.

Just imagine how big a premium brand could become by leveraging that army of advocates in middle-tier venues to effectively convert trade-up opportunities.

At CGA by NIQ, we also use a sporting metaphor for outlet quality. Gold, silver and bronze outlets are joined by a platinum tier, which represents the top 5% of venues. But interestingly, it is the gold tier that most punches above its weight for spirits sales. Despite numbering 24% of outlets in the UK, for example, the tier accounts for 29% of spirits sales, a five percentage point over-index compared with the 4pp equivalent for platinum.

The message is clear: a focus on the ‘second division’, or gold tier, can prove fruitful, in terms of influence, advocacy and sales, but also perhaps in terms of staff. As in sport, rough diamonds are often uncovered, languishing in the lower leagues. All they need is a slightly higher level of support and training to excel.

Of course, high-end bartenders will proportionally always exert more influence on the trade than any others, but instead of banking on a trickle-down effect, why not do both? Maybe a bottom-up influence will shake up the world of mixology.